Keeping his promises to the American people — to exclusively purchase “green” government vehicles by 2015 and to reduce oil imports by one-third by 2025 — on March 24, President Barack Obama mandated that, “the federal fleet should operate only as many vehicles as needed to work efficiently, leveraging federal purchasing dollars to build manufacturing capacity for more alternative-fueled vehicles, and reducing petroleum consumption through efficiency and alternative fuels.”
Specifically, the “alternative-fueled” cars approved for government use include electric; natural gas; and clean diesel vehicles; as well as flex-fuel cars that use E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. The Presidential Memorandum--Federal Fleet Performance may also trim the size of the federal fleet, which comprises about 600,000 cars and trucks, according to a White House statement.
Following the release of President Obama’s memorandum, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, General Services Administrator Martha Johnson, and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley announced the purchase by the GSA of 116 electric vehicles for a pilot test — 101 of them, plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volts from the General Motors (News - Alert) Co.; 10 of them, pure EV Nissan Leaf vehicles; and five, Think City EV models from Finnish Think Global AS.
The U.S. government is the biggest shareholder of General Motors, maker of the Chevrolet Volts. The Think City vehicles will be manufactured at a factory in Elkhart, Indiana, according to the GSA statement.
“The General Services Administration made the right call in choosing the Volt to help lead its electric vehicle fleet initiative,” said General Motors Vice President of Environment, Energy, and Safety Policy Mike Robinson. “The Volt is a ‘no-excuses’car designed to meet the rigors of daily use with gas-free driving, under most circumstances. The Volt's technology is leading the way for a new segment of vehicles and we're pleased to see the GSA (News - Alert) leading the way toward a more gas-free fleet.”
The government, which negotiates vehicle-purchase prices, is paying $38,500 for each Volt, $33,000 for the Leaf, and about $32,500 for the Think City cars, according to the GSA. While that’s lower than the Volt’s $41,000 suggested retail price, federal agencies don’t qualify for a $7,500 tax credit for plug-in vehicles bought by individuals.
These alternative-fuel vehicles will be leased to 20 agencies, including the Department of Energy, and will be located in Washington, DC, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, where there also will be government-funded charging stations available.
The Department of Energy is helping to lead the way on this initiative by expanding its use of hybrids while reducing its fleet overall "Diversifying our transportation fleet with hybrids, electric vehicles, and other alternative fuel vehicles is a critical element in President Obama's long-term plan to break our dependence on foreign oil and invest in America's growing clean energy economy," Chu said at a news conference at the Energy Department.
The purchases are expected to cut gas usage by almost 29,000 gallons annually, saving taxpayers an estimated $116,000 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 257 metric tons, said GSA administrator Martha Johnson
“This electric vehicle pilot will leverage GSA’s role as the government’s fleet operator and landlord to successfully integrate advanced vehicles and infrastructure into the government fleet,” commented Johnson.
In addition to efforts to reduce the use of petroleum in its own vehicles, the Department of Energy is also working closely with the private sector to transition commercial fleets to alternative, fuel-efficient technologies. As part of the National Clean Fleets Partnership President Obama launched in April, DOE is helping companies to reduce diesel and gasoline use in their fleets by incorporating electric vehicles, alternative fuels, and fuel-saving measures into their daily operations.
Secretary Chu commented, “The initiatives underway by the federal government and national leaders in the private sector to reduce the use of oil and gasoline in our fleets will help to spur U.S. innovation, create good jobs for American workers, and achieve President Obama’s goal of reducing U.S. oil imports by one-third in a little more than a decade.”
Last year, GSA doubled the federal hybrid fleet without increasing the total number of vehicles. The resulting improvement in fleet fuel efficiency will reduce petroleum consumption by the equivalent of an estimated 7.7 million gallons of gasoline, or 385,000 barrels of oil.
For more information, see the President’s Memorandum and the GSA news release.
Cheryl Kaften is an accomplished communicator who has written for consumer and corporate audiences. She has worked extensively for MasterCard (News - Alert) Worldwide, Philip Morris USA (Altria), and KPMG, and has consulted for Estee Lauder and the Philadelphia Inquirer Newspapers. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Carrie Schmelkin
